My little girl is not so little anymore. Possible I may be in a teensy bit of denial so suddenly there’s a big time rush to get moving and get stationery. In the meantime I have found these fun but kind of not so practical items…

Giant pencil sharpener pencil holder by Suck UK spotted at Espresso 2108 Palm Beach. Used as sugar container. The lovely owner Sal has some very cute little bits and pieces on display. [They have a nice logo too, with a little help by yours truly] And great coffee. But that’s a given.

And now I get to me. [She whispers finally] Left soon with a lot more time to myself. I’m getting a little edu-macation too.
At the School. The super talented and multi-skilled Megan Morton’s project/ business located happily next to Koskela and Kitchen by Mike. I’m starting with an Instagram course, because I am addicted and, I apologise people, I have been spending a lot more time on IG at the moment than blogging. It’s fun and quick and my camera is in for repairs so I’m i-phoning it. After this class I’m pretty keen to do a screen printing session with Rachel Castle [who so brightly puts the love in the coconuts]

So much to do… There and here. Everywhere.

So yes, a big week for all of us. Smiling and waving. And with a few tears probably.

I came from the dream time, from the dusty red soil plains,I am the ancient heart – the keeper of the flame,I stood upon the rocky shore, I watched the tall ships come,For forty thousand years I’d been the first Australian.We are one but we are manyAnd from all the lands on earth we come,we share a dream,And sing with one voice,I am, you are, we are Australian.I came upon the prison ship bound down by iron chainsI cleared the land, endured the lash and waited for the rains.I’m a settler, I’m a farmer’s wife on a dry and barren runA convict then a free man, I became Australian.I’m the daughter of a digger who sought the mother lodeThe girl became a woman on the long and dusty roadI’m a child of the depression, I saw the good times comeI’m a bushy, I’m a battler, I am Australian.We are one but we are manyAnd from all the lands on earth we come,we share a dream,And sing with one voice,I am, you are, we are Australian.I’m a teller of stories, I’m a singer of songsI am Albert Namatjira, and I paint the ghostly gumsI am Clancy on his horse, I’m Ned Kelly on the runI’m the one who waltzed Matilda, I am Australian.I’m the hot wind from the desert, I’m the black soil of the plainsI’m the mountains and the valleys, I’m the drought and flooding rainsI am the rock, I am the sky, the rivers when they runThe spirit of this great land, I am Australian.We are one but we are manyAnd from all the lands on earth we come,we share a dream,And sing with one voice,I am, you are, we are Australian.

I met a strange lady, she made me nervousShe took me in and gave me breakfast…

Lyrics: Ronald Strykert, Colin Hay

And now for something somewhat predictable but if you haven’t danced your drunken little head off to this track somewhere in the world on Australia Day at sometime in your life, then I suggest you are, indeed unAustralian. Come on…

The original and iconic plastic pink flamingo, designed in 1957 byDon Featherstone for Union Products and won him the Ig Nobel Prize for Art in 1996.
You can buy yourself a set here. Get Flocked.
This impressive company refunded an overpayment on shipping. Like! Can’t wait for them to land.

You may have seen a few flamingos in various forms recently, they are suddenly everywhere. I’ve pinned down a few more if you care to look.
Tacky or kitsh? Love them or hate them? For inanimate objects they can create quite a stir.
These ones from Mitchell Road Antique & Design Centre.
Serving the best of taste.

A loud shoutout to the very lovely re:retro for so generously donating Nipper to the urban rustic collection. How sweet is he, loving that fine bone Gramma-phone?

So here I am recreating logo’s in 3D. Not such a technophobe emi?
[Kind of a personal joke. As a designer I’ve always worked in 2D programs, 3D was a path I didn’t follow [all those dull grey menus.] There is the obvious metaphor here about old dogs…
These days my version of 3 dimensions is photographing props.
And it sounds pretty good to me. What do you think?

#Instagram.
Can’t help but feel kind of ripped off that all these cool camera filter and grading apps once took me ages to set up on Quantel gear [the original ultra expensive Television graphics boxes] and then later Photoshop and After Effects.

Now even my children’s Kid Pix program blows me away with automatic animations, effects and audio. At the click of a single button. And now it’s 3D!

Anyway, whatever. Moving on…
The Interiors Addict recently did a 7 Day Instagram Challenge which was so fun and v. inspiring.
#7Vignettes judged by Kara Rosenlund, super-stylist with her own vintage caravan of travelling wares. Swoon.

I used my iPhone, to be quick, to not take it too seriously
[I can over think it, often] and because my Nikon is a playing up.
Needs to go to the Doctor.

So these are my 7 vignettes aka stuff around the house.

There’s another challenge coming up in a few weeks,
I’ll keep you posted on my Facebook page.

Info will also be on Jen Bishop’s Interiors Addict blog & Facebook page.
Since she’s the smart cookie organising it all…

Like this:

Not exactly new news, you may have noticed pineapples are flavour of the moment. As they should be during high summer here in Australia.

Not to mention being fabulous icons of vintage beach chic.

.

I picked up the v. hi tech pineapple slicer above for 20c at a Church fete in Killara. Amazed I found how to use it on the net.

Works a treat, one slice at a time. A cute little Aussie invention from the 70’s.

Also scored some cool ice cube trays for 10c each. Was hoping to put them in a drink but they melted too quickly to photograph. Looked like yellow blobs almost immediately.

Anyway discovered I like photographing without using real food. Not sure when and why it happened [probably because I love novelties] but it’s kind of a thing with me now. I’ll leave the food styling to the professionals. For now, happy to be an unreal food stylist. Heh.

in all its forms.
So without too much guff, here’s to a New Year and a new leaf.
Hoping it is fruitful for all of us.

Not adding much more to Etsy for now. The urban rustic shop site is coming along nicely thanks to my lovely bud Michelle Lorimer, though I am trying to enjoy this last summer with my little Lily before her new school life begins.

If you see anything you would love to buy or hire, just drop me an email, no pressure. Inquiries welcome.

Not set up, I’ve mentioned before how hysterical my kids think it is to creep their hands in when I am shooting stuff. So I guess I am blowing my mystique [say what now?] but I may as well confess: most/try all, of my photos are not taken in the gi-normous light-filled studios of urban rustic incorporated [I wish] but on the white Corian benchtop in the family kitchen.

And now to leaf you with further inspiration, by some people who really know what they are doing…

Photo by Chris Court, Vogue Living September/October 2005

These are not my plates, and to be totally clear, not my photo.
This collection belongs to Chrissie Jeffery of the gorgeous textiles shop No Chintz.

In another large mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, sugar, maple sugar, oil and sour milk. With a rubber scraper, stir in carrots, pineapple and coconut; fold in dry ingredients until well combined.

Pour mixture into prepared pan and bake 1 hour. Test by inserting a toothpick/skewer into the centre, it should come out clean. Remove from oven and leave to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Use a table knife to separate cake from pan; invert onto a plate. Cool completely before icing.

For icing, combine ingredients in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat until smooth and thick enough to spread over.